Blue Tiger Solutions delivers bespoke data centre and networking solutions to its customers and prides itself in being able to adapt products to fit each customer’s unique business requirement.
When it came to choosing a colocation partner, City Lifeline presented an optimal partnership as they provide secure and reliable environment for dedicated server and telecoms equipment in Central London.
"We offer Bespoke Managed Services, which is where we engage with a new client to offer a platform service that accurately suits their needs," said Dan Hawkins, managing director of Blue Tiger Solutions. "We have vast network and data centre experience. We know the core products and we understand how to get the best out of them and how we can adapt those products to fit a customer’s unique business requirement."
Blue Tiger has high standards and expectations of its carefully chosen partners and suppliers. As Hawkins explains: "Our customers want a single point of contact. We have to be absolutely satisfied that any potential new partners meet the standards that both our customers and we demand. City Lifeline has certainly lived up to those."
City Lifeline also had a geographical advantage by being located in London for easy access, but sitting just outside the ‘Ring of Steel’ Central London Exclusion Zone.
Hawkins says: "City Lifeline really did offer us the perfect solution for our requirement. They have certainly proved to be an excellent, reliable and trustworthy partner over the time we have been with them."
There was another compelling reason for selecting City Lifeline: "We already had a customer in the building next door to City Lifeline and we wanted to be able to install a cross connect into their building to establish a high grade interconnect."
He continues: "This was a different and difficult thing to achieve but City Lifeline were very accommodating about it. They gave us lots of valuable help and advice, as well as suggesting that we would need the services of an architect, who was duly appointed. Although there were a few challenges along the way, it was all successful and is still working perfectly today."
On-going relationship
Following a smooth installation, City Lifeline has continued to meet and maintains Blue Tiger’s high standards. Hawkins says: "City Lifeline has certainly met or exceeded all our expectations and have proved to be very easy to work with. This has made the relationship much stronger and ultimately more productive for us both."
Accessibility and open conversation have been key to maintaining the relationship. Hawkins says: "City Lifeline has a flat management structure, so I can have a conversation with the Directors at any time. They are fully aware of the status of our products and services and are pragmatic in their approach to running those services."
"City Lifeline now meets all the top industry standards and looks and operates like a truly professional data centre. It is reliable and resilient, has the appropriate security, good facilities and the power and cooling are very good," adds Hawkins.
"The personnel have always been good. On the rare occasions that we’ve had to call on their services, they’ve always dealt with the issues promptly and reported back explaining the problem’s cause.
"The feedback from an experienced engineer is invaluable in deciding whether we need our engineers to do more to fix the problem."
In today’s environment, cost is a major issue. City Lifeline also scores highly on this front, as Hawkins highlights: "City Lifeline has a very sensible approach to cost. For example, cross connects provide a good metric. With City Lifeline, you feel you’re getting value for money. Other companies we’ve used are at least double the amount, as well as having an annual recurring fee, so there is really no contest."
Looking to the future
"The future looks very bright and exciting for both of us, as City Lifeline grows organically alongside us. As and when we need to add more facilities or services, they will certainly be our colocation data centre of choice," says Hawkins.
"Our success has not only come from repeat business, from our existing customers, but also from their recommendations to other companies and word of mouth. It’s flattering but also shows our business model is working and our hard work is being recognised.
"We will continue to grow our business at a sustainable rate to make sure that our services and standards always remain at the same high level that our customers expect and demand," he concludes.
